No one writes to the colonel

These stories are told in spare, unpretentious but picturesque prose, compassionate of human frailty, but also rich in wit and irony. The characters are all too human, alternately humorous and tragic.

Written with compassionate realism and wit, the stories in this mesmerizing collection depict the disparities of town and village life in South America, of the frightfully poor and outrageously rich, of memories and illusions, and of lost opportunities and present joys.